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A Darker Choice

By Jamnaz79

Notice: I do not own Harry Potter. I do not claim to own it or to make anything to do with it.

AN: Hogwarts in this story started at age 13 not 11 like in Cannon. First year went much the same except with 2 more years of abuse at the Dursley family Harry was even more withdrawn than he was in cannon.

Fourteen year old Harry Potter walked down the stairs alone towards the Chamber of Secrets. Part of his mind doubted his sanity for following the stairs towards certain death against a basilisk. Perhaps it was a curse upon him that so far in his two years of schooling at Hogwarts he had almost died multiple times. This year had been far worse than last year. At least last year he had friends at his side.

It started with the Dueling Club meeting when Harry had spoken in Parseltongue. He had officially been an outsider from all of his roommates and associates from that moment forward. Right afterwards Ron Weasley had turned against him stating that he couldn't be friends or close with a "dark wizard." After all, every Parseltongue must be a dark wizard. It was surprising when Hermione started to drift away too. He had not known that secretly the pair of her and Weasley had become closer together. Perhaps it as the crush or the fear or being an outsider when she was finally being accepted that had her draw away from him in public. But, no matter what it was, after that everything went downhill for Harry.

The only individuals that seemed to accept his company in Gryffindor was the quidditch team. They didn't really talk to him too much, but then he never really talked much to them before. Harry had always been a loner. They worked together for quidditch; it seemed the fact that Harry was an excellent player was more important than any social stigma to them.

The problem was considering the lack of friends and support it seemed that it was open season on the former Gryffindor golden boy. The attacks started to come sparsely at first then more often as the year went on. Harry found himself in the hospital wing five times, the worst being a tripping hex which on the stairs which caused him to tumble down two flights. The boy felt as if he was under constant attack. Hogwarts had become just as bad as his home life with the Dursley to the boy. It even came with the whispered word of freak often being cast around.

So again Harry questioned himself. Why was he going down these stairs to save the day? He wasn't friends with Ginny Weasley or her brother Ron. He had a soft spot for the twins; at least he had till he realized that some of the pranks played on him were from products and suggestions that they were selling. It wasn't because it was the thing that a "light wizard" would do. During the year after Harry had taken to going about the castle under his invisibility cloak he started to research in the restricted section. He found it interesting the concept of light and dark, and how that had changed over the years. He no longer fully believed that nonsense that had been spouted to him from other light families. After all this year he had been treated badly by both sides of the coin.

The teenagers thoughts were drawn from inside as he carefully walked over bones at the bottom of the tunnels. His new black dragonhide boots crunched down on the old bones as he walked to the entranceway. A hiss escaped his lips in Parseltongue, "Open."

It was only a few seconds before the snake completed a circle and the large granite slid sideways opening up the entrance. Harry now faced the legendary Chamber of Secrets. It was a room that supposedly was created by one of the greatest wizards of the past, who knew what secrets he would find. A deep breath escaped his lips before he walked forward under the large statutes of the founder.

It was amazing how loud boots can sound as they echoed through the empty chamber. Slowly walking over the puddles down a pathway, the young Gryffindor moved forward with his wand tightly in hand. Before him was the sight of Ginny Weasley passed out on the ground and an older boy standing over her. Harry came to a stop a dozen feet away, caution had been taught to him this year, else he may have rushed forward foolishly to her side. Who knew what might happen if he had done something of that nature. Instead he forced up some false bravado that he hardly felt, "Greetings."

The other boy turned towards him, short dark hair matched dark eyes as the taller pale boy studied Harry closely. Harry recognized him as Tom Riddle from the memory but hid his surprise. A cruel smile spread over the lips of the seventh year boy, "Harry Potter, you came."

"I did indeed come. Your note you left was very explicit that I would come or else." Harry commented while slightly amazing his voice didn't crack from the nerves in his stomach. His wand hand motioned towards the pretty thirteen year old passed out on the ground, "I did not expect to see you here Tom. I thought you were a diary."

"I was a memory of the Diary, but no more. Soon I will become something great once again Harry Potter… But I had to see you and find out what made you so special." The last word was spit out with almost a hiss as the eyes of Tom took on a dark gleam.

"I disagree with being special Tom. I am merely me. What are you becoming that is so great?" Harry questioned carefully keeping his wand pointed at the boy. He leveled it between himself and the old boy.

"Merely you… Come now Harry, I hear you are far too famous for your own good. The boy-who-lived… It was an amusing tale according to little Ginny. It seems she had quite the crush on you. She wrote often of you. Enough to make me curious…" The boy's lips twisted into a sneer as he glared with dark eyes at the young Gryffindor.

"Why do you care about me?" Harry asked as he walked slowly inch by inch closer to the girl on the ground.

"Why? Because you are my past, my present and my future, you are my enemy. Harry Potter, The boy who defeated the Greatest Dark Lord in history." Tom spoke up before his finger raised and he started to draw his name before the eyes of the other boy. A sweep of his hand reconfigured his name into the words, 'I am Lord Voldemort.'

To say Harry was stunned was an understatement. Now he knew he was once again the middle of a troubling situation. Why the hell did he seem to be in one every year? His eyes left Tom's only for a second as he looked over Ginny. She was unconscious on the ground and far too pale for being healthy. What was interesting was there was no diary in sight, if this Tom was from one. Where was it? All concern for the book was changed as Tom continued to speak.

"I have driven away Dumbledore by the mere memory of myself. I have unleashed my ancestor's chosen on this foolish mudblood filled school. Now I will get to see the little champion of the Light die before I even return to this world." Tom cackled insanely as he spoke not even looking at Harry now.

The maddening cackling was drawn up short by a single question, "Who said I was the champion of the Light?"

The eyes of Tom Riddle blinked in surprise at the question from the boy. It was a surprising statement as he was certain this boy would claim to defend Dumbledore and his allies. Tom turned back towards Harry and studied him closely, "Oh, so you aren't the little golden boy for the light? You are not the one that last year supposedly defeated myself and killed one of my followers? Have you learned this year when under attack something little Harry Potter?"

"I have no interest in your little spat between yourself and Dumbledore. Let you both fight as you will. I am not interest in being some chosen warrior for him. I don't even see the purpose of light or dark nonsense. There is only magic." Harry spoke calmly as he knelt down, still carefully grasping his wand as he checked with his free hand for a pulse on Ginny Weasley. He found a faint one still left.

"You are correct Potter. There is only power and those too afraid to use it. You are learning it seems, perhaps you are not too gone into his ways." Tom stared at the boy as he checked over the youngest Weasley. His lips curled into a sneer at the paleness of the blood traitor, "Do not waste your time with her. It is almost too late for her. She will be gone in minutes and I will be reborn."

"Reborn, you are using her to gain your body again? You are draining her life to create your own? That is monstrous Tom. I can't let you do that." Harry spoke with false bravado as he glanced up at the older boy.

A cackling came from the lips of Tom Riddle's shade in amusement, "How will you stop me Potter? Just as I thought you might have potential it is destroyed yet again."

"The diary! I will destroy the diary." Harry spoke as he started to look around for the book knowing if it is what contains Tom's spirit it must be destroyed in order to stopping Tom.

"No you will not." Tom spoke calmly before he raised his hands into the air and shouted, "Speak to me Salazar Slytherin, Greatest of the Hogwarts Four!"

The stone mouth started to open as the Chamber shook. But instead of a snake exiting as Harry expected a small book floated into the mouth of Slytherin. Harry saw the diary disappear into the darkness as black scales the size of his head glistened in the torchlight. The mouth shuttered again as it slowly closed up sealing away the diary from behind harmed. When the mouth closed there was silence in the chamber. Silence that was broken by a whisper filled with glee, "What will you do Harry Potter? Will you try to open my ancestor's mouth and brave the serpent? Or will you think reasonably. Imagine what we could accomplish together young Harry. We could become a force more powerful than anything ever seen. Imagine controlling the world, becoming powerful enough to make the muggles that harmed you in the past pay. Become powerful enough to make nobody ever harm you again Harry. Stand at my side as I conquer this world and I will treat you as a favored kin as we bring this world under my control."

The offer was interesting for a few moments. Yes, the idea of making those that hurt him pay. The possibility of causing the Dursley family to feel the same pain and torment he felt for the first thirteen year of his life. The idea that he could become someone powerful enough not to be hurt ever again was very appealing especially after this year. But, then a single question filled his mind, why did he need Voldemort to do that?

Harry looked down at the far too pale girl; her hair was starting to turn white on the edges from the normal red. He felt a deep sadness creep into himself knowing what he must do. Harry brushed his fingertips against the cheek of the girl that according to Tom's words had not turned against him. He could feel a single tear against his own cheek before he whispered the words that often Dumbledore spoke, "For the Greater Good."

"What was that Potter?" Tom watched him carefully now narrowing his eyes at the boy.

"Goodbye Tom, Goodbye Ginny." Harry looked up as his killing curse green eyes shined with determination. He raised his wand to the chest of Ginny Weasley as he stood up slowly. He remembered the incantation from a book he had pulled from the library when he was alone this year."Reducto!"

The spell went off in a blue flash followed by a scream from the mouth of Tom Riddle. Harry didn't look up at it, he completely ignored Tom as the shade withered in a death throes only to fade away into nothing. Its spirit still connected to the diary but no longer having the energy to complete it's transformation.

Instead Harry's blood covered face stayed locked onto the body of Ginny Weasley. Her crimson life blood flowing from her as shallow gasps exited her body one last time. He saw the pain etched into the face of the young teenager that he ended the life of. It was a face that would forever haunt his dreams. It was a face of the first innocent he killed. When her gasps ended he slowly reached down and picked up her body. He didn't care about the crimson blood that spilled over his robes. He didn't care about the fact that he just saved the school and student body. All that Harry Potter cared about is that he just murdered an innocent girl in order to do what must be done.

Author Note: Sorry for not updating His Own Man or Shadow recently. I have been very sick of late so I haven't gotten the chance to write anything. I have a few chapters to add to some of these random stories which will go up soon. I have a chapter of His Own Man done and I am working on a few chapters to be finished for Shadow soon. Please let me know if you like this story or not or your thoughts.